In some ways, Sonic Forces is exactly what the younger fan base will want. Those who grew up playing Sonic Unleashed, Generations, and the Nintendo-exclusive Colours will no doubt be excited to learn that this is a return to that brand of 3D blue blur action. Where Sonic Forces has its work cut out is in convincing everyone else that its three different play styles are an improvement on the established formula, which has endured varying degrees of criticism over the years.

Unfortunately, in an effort to appeal to everybody, Sonic Team has made a game that feels at odds with itself. The primary offender is the story. Eggman has allied with the mysterious and powerful Infinite, who quickly defeats Sonic in their first faceoff. Months pass, and the world has nearly fallen to Eggman and his cronies, while Sonic’s ensemble of multicoloured friends has formed a resistance. The problem isn’t so much with the plot itself as it is with the way it’s written. An example: early on in the game, Vector the Crocodile says, “Oh man, that’s not good,” to which Knuckles replies, “None of this is good, Vector. That’s why it’s called ‘war’!” It’s regularly and noticeably inconsistent in tone. The writers clearly struggled to find a balance between telling a more hard-edged story and keeping things fun for the young audience that will consume it.

Part of this wavering story is the introduction of your very own custom character, who then stars in his/her very own levels. First you pick a species, and each one has a unique trait. We went with a cat, for example, which holds onto a couple of rings when you take damage. You then change your chosen animal’s look and, once you’ve unlocked some costume items, can kit it out with your choice of hats, clothes, shoes, and accessories. You’re rewarded with five or six new items every time you finish a level, so you won’t be short of options for long.

You also equip your avatar with a Wispon, a weapon they’ll use during their levels to combat Eggman’s legions of robots. There are a few to unlock, such as a lightning whip and one that lets you turn enemies into platforms, but the flamethrower weapon you’re given at the start is also more than serviceable. It serves as a differentiator between your character and the Sonics, along with a grappling hook, although it’s basically modern Sonic’s homing attack.

The levels themselves, however, are messily designed, and sit in a weird middle space where they’re not as fast as modern Sonic’s levels but also aren’t as platform-heavy as classic Sonic’s. The fact that Sonic Team has to factor in so many different possible combinations of species and Wispons means the levels are fairly big but also pretty empty, and like with the story, there has clearly been a struggle concerning how the avatar levels should play.

The levels starring either Sonic are more straightforward to explain and more fun. While level design across the board is sketchy, the Sonic stages are generally better. Modern Sonic has his moments when everything flows and you’re blitzing through a stage, getting S ranks and beating levels in record time. That said, modern Sonic’s gameplay is still problematic. Jumps are difficult to judge, homing attacks will sometimes fail to work, and you can be travelling so fast that you scream off the edge of a level before you even see it. Control is often taken away from you during the most impressive stunts, and switching to a 2D perspective doesn’t resolve any problems when control comes back.

Speaking of 2D, classic Sonic’s levels fare a little better. Again, the design isn’t particularly interesting, but the stages do benefit from a slower approach and more thoughtful platforming challenges. The thing about classic Sonic, though, is that we all enjoyed a little game called Sonic Mania a few months ago, and that game makes Sonic Forces’ classic levels feel like a bunch of eager fans made them. Wait…

Jokes aside, the platforming action found in classic Sonic’s levels really isn’t up to scratch. Much like with modern Sonic, jumping is imprecise and hard to get a handle on, but it sticks out more here because 90 per cent of the classic stages are about making calculated jumps onto platforms and enemies.

It at least all looks decent, with a sharp image quality, colourful environments, and a solid frame rate. The music is also worth mentioning: you have some nice orchestral pieces alongside modern Sonic’s catchy up-tempo tracks and classic Sonic’s more traditional sound. Sadly, it isn’t enough to distract from the game’s flaws, which are much too fundamental to overlook.

Conclusion

Sonic Forces is a disappointing step back for the franchise. Uninteresting level design and subpar gameplay on all three playable characters make for a game that can be frustrating to get through. The nonsense story is poorly written and makes more tonal shifts than Mariah Carey with an ice cube down her back. The game is perfectly fine for the younger audience it’s targeting, and we’re sure they’ll enjoy it for what it is, but in the wake of Sonic Mania’s tremendous success, the problems 3D Sonic has always faced are becoming much harder to ignore.

Having grown up alongside PlayStation, Stephen has developed a wide knowledge of video games, from AAA blockbusters to the smallest indie gems. With relentless enthusiasm, eclectic taste, and a passion for writing, he’s always on the lookout for the next big thing. He also has the Platinum for The Witness, so there’s that.

This game is frustrating, aggravating, and just plain bad, and as someone that actually did like Generations and some of Unleashed no way is it in their league. I want to know what in the blazes happened in the development cycle for this game. This is a step back in every way and I don't buy that this took 4 years to make. It's cool to point and laugh at Sonic, I get that, even as a fan of some of the less liked titles I get that...but what I don't get is how it seems that every time it looks like Sonic Team has a grasp on a direction to take him in 3D, they find a way to screw the pooch in monumental and spectacular ways.

I really enjoy the game, but just as I feared.. the 2d stages are terrible no matter who you play. Personally, I think a 4 is a tad low. It's a pretty addicting game and only 2 or 3 stages felt wonky to me.

This review is a disgrace. As a massive (and widely known) Sonic fanboy, I demand a second review from someone who actually knows what they're talking about when it comes to Sonic. Someone like Sammy Barker.

Back in the days i was a Sonic fanboy, so it saddens me to see Sega not having the slightest idea for making a modern day Sonic title. (Mania not withstanding)Here's one, Sega: call Sucker Punch and ask them to make a sandbox Sonic.

@Fight_Teza_Fight I remember them giving it the big talk how from now on they will only be releasing quality titles, sure the game isn't broken like some older releases but it isn't good enough considering it's the mascot that basically made sega come close to beating Nintendo in the console wars of the 90s. Disgraceful

So all that stuff you've mentioned, like the unlockable avatar items, bonus stages that open up, red rings etc. - you're probably not going to like this, but I didn't think most of that stuff added much of any real value. I mention the flood of costume items in the review, it's nice for people who want that variety but only the wispons actually impact how you play, which is why I went into more detail on them specifically.

The unlockable stages are fine. I played a fair few of them, and they provide you with some much needed challenge, but aside from that, you can take them or leave them.

Missions and daily missions are pretty trivial. Unless you're a completionist or really into the game, they don't bring much to the table.

Red rings etc. are fine but again don't really add anything meaningful. If you want to 100% the game, they're there for you to find, but that's about it.

To summarise: all that other stuff you mentioned is cool but is kinda just optional fluff for completionists.

@Octane It really is. It's not like they don't know it either as @crazykcarter said. They put out an actual statement, acknowledging the lack of quality.

Whilst I think a Adventure-like game would be expensive to make, I don't think lack of funds is the issue here.
It's just incompetence, especially in light of the other Sega studios.

Imagine if Nintendo treated Mario, the way Sega treats Sonic. Just wouldn't happen.

Time for Sonic Team to gotta go...fast.

@dryrain Seen enough of the game to not go anywhere near it. Certainly not going to reward them for putting out something so mediocre.
This is coming from someone that likes Classic Sonic, but loves Modern Sonic.

I've never played a 3D Sonic game before, but I'm still on a Sonic buzz after mania so I had an apprehensive eye on this one. Sounds like I'm better off keeping my money in my wallet.
Cheers for the review!

Good review, ill get this game at some point because I do like me some Sonic and I'm quite forgiving of his bad games. I really enjoyed Rise of the Dark Spark just because I love Transformers and that game is clearly junk!

@Kosmo I haven't played it but I don't expect it would get rated much higher if it was a new IP from an unknown developer with an all new cast. Plus Mania was well received. I think the problem is we all know a 3D sonic game could be fantastic.

@kyleforrester87 I don't know. I find it's a good iteration, even if it's not great by any means. The levels are short, but to the point, I loved the avatar thing, the story is typical Sonic nonsense, the OST is very cool, there are multiple pathways in the levels if you have the righ Wispon or if your skill is high enough... Overall, as I said it's enjoyable.I feel like it's the Sonic name that drags it down because people will expect something great, not something average. But I'd take this over Sonic Boom any day.The downpoint I found is the physic of the jumps, which was very heavy and sometimes just weird, making side scrolling sections obnoxious sometimes.

I expected this game to fail and going by the reviews it has done just that..so well done Sega.But seriously,I have been watching people play this on YouTube and gotta say I think it looks like a lot of fun..Seeing as I STILL haven't bought or played Mania yet does that put the score of this game up to a 6?

Hey @quintumply why didnt you mention the menus? Everyone needs to know about that. Ive been in and out of those menus like no ones business and yet theres barely a mention of how fast they are. If your not gonna mention the menus how can I take this review seriously? Also theres no mention about the colour of sonics shoes. Ya know its important to me, Im into fashion and we need to know whats going on with his trabs. Never reading another review its so unprofessional to not mention shoe colour.

sonic definitely needs it's 3d games altered to suit...the narrow passage type gameplay doesnt seem to work...but give sonic an open world where he can really cut loose to get a sense of speed would be good.He can't be fast all the time so slow sections will happen where he needs to platform jump etc...they basically (i think) need to mario 64 the sonic games to give him the space he needs to go fast and the correct sections to go slow. I love sonic and always have and remember the days arguing who was better mario or sonic..where now there is no argument.this franchise needs to go into fresh hands...i'll probably still get the game but wait till its dirt cheap on PC.

Good review, It's funny though, I've been enjoying forces. Maybe it's my nostalgia for Sonic Jam, Adventure and Adventure 2 and Heroes but I don't know I find it fun. One thing that does bug the ever loving hell out of me is when you get a good amount of speed while playing as Modern Sonic and the level design tells you "NOPE SORRY YOU SLOW DOWN NOW".. A few other issues I have with Forces, but I find it fun. It's way better then Sonic 06, but not as good as Generations or Colors.